Love and Understanding
by erindarroch
Summary: Han returns home a little wiser than when he left. Co-authored with Justine Graham (justinegraham). Cover art by naomi-makes-art73 (Deviantart).


Love and Understanding

By Justine Graham and Erin Darroch

Lifting her head from the pillow, Leia held her next breath and focused her hearing in the direction of the foyer, listening for any hint of sound like the one that had awakened her from a light and fitful sleep. The apartment was quiet, with no sound but the faint, familiar drone of the environmental controls and the occasional high-pitched _chirp_ of the security system. Hearing nothing further, Leia sent out a probing tendril through the Force, and the unique and distinctive masculine presence that flowed back to her—deeply weary, but calm, peaceful and happy—was unmistakable.

Leia stirred and shifted her gaze to the bedside chrono, and then blinked in surprise when she saw the time was still more than two hours before sunrise. Han wasn't due home until mid-morning of the day just beginning; to have made it all the way back to Chandrila from Cularin at this hour, he must have pushed the _Falcon_ 's engines to the limit.

He was trying hard to be quiet, Leia realized, hearing the faint clink of his holster buckle being released, and then the muffled thunk of his blaster rig being placed with care on a kitchen counter. Shifting up onto one elbow, Leia flipped back the corner of the sheet and the quilted coverlet, intending to leave their cozy bed to go and greet him. As soon as she sat up, however, she heard the muted creak of the wooden floors under his weight and the whisper of his stockinged feet against the smooth boards, familiar sounds that told her he was already in the corridor and heading her way.

He entered their bedroom quietly a moment later, emerging from the darkened doorway into the silvery moonlight streaming through the wall of windows at the far end of the room, and then paused to let his eyes adjust as he peered in the direction of the bed. Meeting his seeking gaze in the dim light, Leia saw the bright flash of his smile and, through the Force, felt the surging of his buoyant mood when he realized she was awake. She scooted back into the warmth and softness of the bed, and then reclined once more against her pillow and lifted the edge of the covers in silent invitation. Han moved towards her with alacrity, stripping his white shirt off over his head as he advanced. He paused for an impatient moment at the bedside to wrestle with the remainder of his clothing, kicking it all carelessly aside, and then slipped under the sheet and gathered Leia close, his long, bare legs entwining with hers as he nestled in tight.

"Good mornin', Sweetheart," he murmured, bending his head down to nuzzle her face, his soft lips pressing three warm, emphatic kisses against her jaw. "Surprise."

The rasp of his stubbled chin against her skin and his rumbling voice in her ear combined to raise the tiny hairs all over Leia's body, and her nipples stiffened in primitive response. She shivered and wriggled closer into his embrace. His skin was cool from recent exposure to the night air and scented with the familiar, sharp green fragrance of the soap he kept in the _Falcon_ 's shower. She smiled and nuzzled him back, breathing him in. "I'm not sure this hour counts as _'morning'_ ," she murmured, her voice hoarse with sleep. "You must have set a new speed record to get here so fast." She tilted her head back to peer up at him. "Have you been modifying the _Falcon_ 's engines again?"

"Maybe…." he smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "There's always room for improvement, right?" His expression softened as he gazed down at her. "And I had good reason to hurry."

Leia became aware of his fingers drawing down the top edge of the coverlet and gently pushing back the long locks of hair that had fallen over her shoulder, then she sighed with renewed pleasure as he dipped his head down to place sweet, lingering kisses on her newly exposed flesh.

"Would that good reason be _me_?" Leia queried, already knowing the answer, and then smiled at his muffled grunt of affirmation against her collarbone.

She combed her fingers tenderly through his thick hair as he continued to drag his lips along the curve of her shoulder and up the slope of her neck.

"Glad to be home?" Leia murmured, still smiling.

" _Mmmm hmmm_ ," Han mumbled as he nuzzled behind her ear, inhaling deeply and then exhaling slowly against her neck before lifting his head to give her a chaste, tender kiss on the lips. He settled back against the pillow with a gratified sigh and closed his eyes, then drew Leia's slight body closer, snugging her against his side with one arm.

With her head nestled in the hollow of his shoulder, Leia skimmed a hand over the firm muscles of his bare chest, lightly dragging her fingertips through the sparse hair there and listening as the sound of his breathing changed, becoming slow, deep and regular, with the slightest hint of a soft snore. He was obviously very tired and she knew she ought to just let him rest. But the scent of him, the solid feel of him in her arms and the lingering tingle from the heated path of kisses Han had trailed across her skin had done more than just awaken her from sleep; her entire body was awake, alive, and craving his touch.

Biting her lip, she allowed her fingers to follow the narrow trail of coarse hair that ran down the center of his body, then slipped her hand under the covers draped loosely across his hips, and snaked down even further to explore the velvety contours of his flesh. His skin was warm and impossibly soft under her palm, but she was rewarded with the swift and strong reaction of his body to her touch, even as he drifted on the edge of sleep. Encouraged, she grew bolder, wrapping her fingers around him and stroking his rapidly growing length with slow, gentle insistence, smiling to herself at how readily he responded to her caresses. She never ceased to feel enthralled by the transformation that was taking place under her hand, or amazed at how easily she could command it.

Stirring and shifting slightly, Han made a low sound deep in his throat, and then opened his eyes to regard her with an expression somewhere between hazy desire and amusement.

"Something tells me you missed me, too, Princess," he said, the rumbling timbre of his voice raising the level of Leia's desire tenfold.

"Maybe...just a bit," she teased, noting how his breathing changed again as she continued her loving attentions, tightening her tender grip as he stiffened and stretched under her palm. He looked decidedly more alert now, his eyes darkening with desire as he gazed down at her. She arched one eyebrow and gave him a winsome smile. "Think you could stay awake a little while longer?"

In answer, Han rose up onto one elbow and slipped his free hand around the nape of her neck, then guided her mouth gently to his. They shared a warm, slow kiss of homecoming and welcome that turned gradually into something more. Hungrily, Leia molded herself to his body and felt him respond with equal fervor, tightening his arm around her and pressing her close as his kisses took on a more demanding edge. As he began to revive, the energy flowing from Han became urgent, almost desperate, as if he were seeking to draw upon Leia's essence to augment some unseen, essential part of him. Leia understood that feeling absolutely, even though the realization of just how deeply she craved his presence and how sorely she missed him when they were apart still filled her with a sense of wonderment. She'd never imagined feeling anything like what she felt for Han and, in truth, the intensity of it sometimes scared her a little—though she was reassured by the certain knowledge that he shared those sentiments, and to the same fierce degree. His reverent touch and the look of naked adoration in his eyes when they were alone together was revealing enough, but through the Force she could also sense in him a mirror of her own amazed joy and satisfaction at their deep connection. If there was one good thing about their current working arrangements—with Han frequently away from Chandrila on military missions lasting weeks or even months at a time—it was _this_ : the first sweet moments of ardent reunion.

As he kissed her, Han skimmed one broad hand underneath her thin shift to rest briefly against her belly, then moved it warmly up to cup her breast, squeezing and caressing with gentle pressure, grazing the stiffened nipple with the pad of his thumb. The movement of his mouth against hers was slow and tender, with the promise of barely restrained passion lying just below the surface. Her body's response to his touch was immediate and intense, the light, circular movements of his thumb funneling blissful sensations in a direct conduit straight to her core. She buried her fingers in his hair and closed her eyes tight, focusing all of her awareness on the sweet sensations of his mouth moving against hers, on the teasing sweep of his tongue between her lips, and then the slick sensation of his tongue sliding against her own. The growing intensity of the kiss created a hot, heavy feeling low in Leia's belly, a throbbing warmth that made her press herself against the length of him, longing to be closer still.

Han's fingers ceased their tantalizing movements against her breast, and then she felt him gather the silky fabric of her nightgown in his hand and give it a light tug upwards. Leia shifted onto her back and then sat up, lifting her arms to aid him in drawing the garment over her head. Before she had even settled herself fully back against the pillows, his dark head descended and his warm lips claimed the spot where his hand had been moments ago, drawing the pert nipple into his mouth, laving the pebbled flesh with his tongue. Leia shivered with pleasure, raking her fingers through his hair and down across the broad planes of his shoulders, savoring the feel of firm muscles moving under smooth skin as he shifted to pay equal attention to her other breast. She moaned softly as his mouth closed around the nipple, his hot tongue swirling circles around the delicate tip as his free hand roamed up and down her bare body in restless entreaty. The touch of his work-roughened fingers, together with the light, suckling movements of his mouth, combined to send Leia swiftly into a euphoric state of sensory overload, her hips rocking slightly against his body in an unconscious, yearning rhythm. She could feel Han smiling against her skin and knew he was gratified by her response. She was like dry tinder to his flame; so ready for him—and so quickly—it was obvious that she'd been keenly anticipating his return.

Han lifted his mouth to capture hers once more as one hand grazed down her abdomen, prickling her skin in its wake, drifting lower to slide his fingers under the delicate silken edge of her briefs. She lifted her hips to aid him and he dragged the thin garment down her thighs, over her knees and clear of her feet, pushing the bed covers out of the way as he went, and then tossed the scrap of fabric carelessly behind him before returning his attentions to her body. She could feel the growing urgency in him, the strong desire to take her _now_ , overlain with trembling self-restraint as he stretched out alongside her once more. Their mouths met in another heated kiss and his hand resumed its downward travels, gliding over the skin of her belly and then lower still, brushing his fingertips over silken curls and then dipping down to gently stroke and explore the sensitive flesh at the apex of her thighs. Leia's body arched of its own accord and she pressed her aching centre against the flat of his palm while her own hands sought to bring him closer to her, one sliding around the nape of his neck to keep his hungry mouth on hers, while the other dipped down to wrap around his straining length once more, handling him with an intuitive touch. The room filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing as Leia drew back from his kiss to gaze up at him, enjoying the sight of his handsome face in the hazy moonlight, his shadowed eyes fluttering shut as she stroked him. Smiling, she continued her ministrations, lovingly caressing the thick contours of his rigid flesh with the combination of pressure and rhythm that she knew he liked best; it was an adoring but relentless touch that never failed to reduce him to helpless groans. Han shuddered and then buried his head beside hers on the pillow.

"Leia," he implored, grinding out her name in a voice already strained and hoarse with need.

In response, Leia melted into him, sliding a leg over his hip and bringing the crux of her body close to his, pressing every centimeter of her skin against him. She felt so attuned to him, so connected, she didn't need him to put into words what he wanted; his desire mirrored her own, and what she wanted was to envelop him completely and feel him sink into her body, the two of them merging and melting together as they always did, like disparate elements in a hot forge, creating something new and whole and strong between them. Whispering encouragement, she pulled him with her as she settled onto her back, welcoming the weight of him as he moved between her thighs, and then moaning helplessly at the exquisite sensation of fullness and completion as he entered her. Han moved over her, gazing down with an expression of tender adoration as his hips completed their slow forward motion and his body fused sweetly, perfectly with hers. In the dim moonlight, their eyes caught, and they shared a smile. Leia felt as though she were ascending to some ethereal plane, elevated not only by the electric arcs of pleasure racing through her core, but by the waves of love that radiated from Han to her through the unseen currents of the Force. His devotion was absolute, and this moment was for them an affirmation of solemn vows they had not yet spoken aloud.

Han settled down upon her then, taking the weight of his upper body on his forearms and angling his head down to bring his mouth close to Leia's uptilted chin as his hips began to move in a steady rhythm, his body driving hers to wondrous heights with long, measured strokes. With their lips close together, their shallow breaths mingled, broken only by mutual shapeless, pleading whispers and fervent kisses. Leia wrapped her legs around him and clutched at his shoulders, at his back and hips, enjoying the feeling of his powerful muscles flexing under her fingertips, of his strong body surging into hers; adoring the way he groaned with pleasure at every slow, warm thrust. The past few weeks apart had seemed like an eternity, and Leia was utterly enthralled by the feel of him, the sound, the scent, the taste of him. The way he moved inside her was blissful perfection, made even more delectable by the growl of his voice in her ear, the sound of her name and half-formed words of praise and encouragement falling from his lips as Leia tightened around him. She was already hovering so close to the exquisite edge and she could feel Han reaching that point as rapidly as she, their pace gradually increasing as the two of them strained together towards the precipice, moving as one. The low sounds he was making blended with Leia's breathless, incoherent cries, creating a sensuously erotic backdrop to the delicious friction of their bodies and the intense vibrations of the living Force that swirled and flowed around them.

Fluttering just on the verge of release, Leia writhed under Han, running her hands down to grip his moving hips between her thighs, needing something more to push her over the edge. Attentive to her signals, Han shifted his weight a little, slipped a hand down between them and added his deft touch to the place where their bodies were intimately joined, completing the circuit as he continued to move within her. In a flash, Leia was soaring out over the brink, electrified, her mind and body suffused with warm, white light. She arched hard beneath him, dimly aware of the long moan coming from her own throat. A heartbeat later, she felt Han's body tense against hers and then shudder as he began tumbling over the edge along with her, his last, powerful thrusts deepening Leia's pleasure to such an exquisite point, her whole body quaked in response. For a long moment, they were aloft together in breathless communion, connected to each other in every possible way. And then they were back in their bodies, drifting down from the heights with countless kisses, murmured endearments and deep, satisfied sighs.

Leia felt a rush of pure happiness suffuse her whole being, a contented joy that made her shift up onto one elbow to follow Han as he lifted his weight from her and then tipped over onto his back, sprawling in happy abandon across half the bed. She couldn't stop touching him, breathlessly peppering the flushed skin of his chest, his throat, his jaw with a multitude of sweet caresses, running her free hand up his torso, across his far shoulder and down his arm, wrapping her fingers around the broad bones of his wrist—simply enjoying the solid feel of him under her hand. When her mouth found his once more, Han stopped grinning long enough to return her kiss, but his bright smile re-emerged as soon as she broke off and drew back to meet his gaze.

" _Now_ it's a good morning," Han pronounced, cupping her cheek in his warm palm.

"The best," Leia agreed with an answering smile, leaning into his touch. "I'm still a bit amazed, though. That has to be a new speed record."

"Hey, give me a break," he protested, dropping his hand from her cheek and looking gravely offended. "I haven't seen you in three weeks. Can I help it if—"

" _I meant_ the speed with which you got here from Cularin," Leia interjected, rolling her eyes and trying her best not to laugh. She couldn't help but smile at his mollified expression, though, when he heard her explanation and realized her comment had nothing to do with his performance. Han's sexual ego was pretty healthy, but even he was not entirely immune to perceived criticism. She decided to stroke another aspect of his ego for good measure. "That was incredibly fast, even for the _Falcon_."

Han grinned. "That new Comina field driver was worth every credit," he declared, folding his arms beneath his head with a smug, self-satisfied air. "And that new transpacitor, too. We held point-five past lightspeed all the way, with barely a hiccup from the main engines. Purred like a Felinx the entire trip, and we shaved _at least_ four hours off our time."

Leia gave him an indulgent look that said she was _most impressed._

He winked at her and reached up to sweep back the curtain of dark hair that fell across her face as she leaned over him. His gaze softened as he held her eyes in the dim moonlight. "Really missed you, Sweetheart," he murmured, the words quietly spoken but clearly heartfelt. "Couldn't wait to get home."

"I missed you, too," she whispered in return, then leaned into him, reveling in the pleasure of brushing her lips across his at leisure, breathing him in. They exchanged a few more tiny kisses around shared smiles before Leia shifted around to stretch alongside him, then rested her head on his shoulder with one arm draped across his torso. He wrapped one arm around her bare back and hugged her close.

These moments of reunion always felt to Leia as though some depleted element of her spirit had been restored; she felt physically satisfied, of course, her whole body suffused with tingling pleasure—but most of all she felt _loved,_ and filled once again with happy anticipation. The reservoir of excitement and optimism that she felt for her future with Han seemed to ebb and dwindle over time when they were separated; not because she doubted his commitment, nor because she felt any lessening of her devotion to him, but simply because it was necessary to set aside her personal desires temporarily so that she could concentrate on her work. The crafting of a new government to replace the defeated Empire was proving to be as big a challenge as she'd expected—and then some!—and Leia's central role in the new endeavor put tremendous demands on her time and energy. Early on in this new, intimate phase of her relationship with Han, she'd become aware of a slight drawback, in the sense that her ability to focus intently on matters of great importance to the entire galaxy was somewhat handicapped by her sudden, disconcerting tendency to drift into daydream about her Corellian sweetheart. Arriving at meetings fresh from his ardent embrace, she had to discipline herself to put him out of her mind, to stop thinking about how she felt when she was with him, or how excited she was for the next evening ahead. But now, nestled up against him in their cozy bed, listening to the sound of his heartbeat as it slowed, she could indulge for a while in the great pleasure of thinking about their future together. Han's eagerness to be with her and his evident delight in her company made her feel cherished and adored, and reminded her of the reasons why she worked so hard while he was gone—and, indeed, why he was gone for so long in the first place. Smiling over these musings, Leia burrowed into Han's side and closed her eyes as they sank slowly together, weighty and warm, into contented slumber.

==============0==============

The bright morning sun poured through the bedroom window, casting a diffuse glow over Leia's pillow. The golden light penetrated through her closed eyelids, drawing her gradually from a deep and dreamless sleep. Consciousness came slowly, as both the light and the distant, shrill cries of bulabirds drifting through the slightly open window nudged her to the surface of awareness.

Leia stirred, burrowing down a little deeper into the comforting softness and warmth of the bed. She curled one fist around the edge of the thick blanket and tucked it a little more tightly under her chin, just as a gust of cool air flooded across her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking against the sudden intensity of the sunlight, to focus absently on the long edge of the pale, thin curtain that rippled and billowed in the breeze. Mornings at this time of year were chilly, and she hadn't intended to leave the window open; but she had been so tired the previous evening that she'd barely made it through the motions of changing out of her clothes before falling into bed, exhausted but thrumming with anticipation that Han would be home the next morning, and their latest separation would finally be over.

But it seemed Han had been just as anxious for the joy of homecoming as she, and she smiled against the pillow, recalling the passion and blissful sense of renewal kindled by their pre-dawn reunion. Drawn by the aura of his presence beside her, Leia rolled fully to her other side, her heart swelling with love at the sight of him lying alongside her, sound asleep despite the increasing sounds of activity rising from the harbor below as the city slowly came to life for the day. His handsome face was relaxed in an expression of peaceful calm and, watching his eyelashes twitching against his cheeks, she thought he must be dreaming. He looked so serene, and though Leia wanted nothing more than to touch him, to slide on top of him and kiss him awake, she knew that the long hours of travel the day before had taken their toll, and he needed his rest.

Keeping her movements as smooth and silent as she could, Leia turned away from Han and peeled back the bedcovers. Her unbound hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back as she sat upright, and she shivered a little at the sudden change in temperature that prickled her newly exposed flesh. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she paused a moment at the edge to slowly stretch and shrug away the last hazy remnants of sleep. She had just begun to push herself up to stand when a firm hand closed around one wrist, holding her in place.

"What's your hurry, Princess?" Han rumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

Extricating her arm from his light grasp, Leia angled around, drawing one leg up beneath her and shifting on the bed to face him. "No hurry," she soothed, reaching out a hand to stroke his sleep-tousled hair away from his forehead, "but I've had my rest and I'm wide awake. It's still early, though. Go back to sleep."

"Nah," he dismissed the idea, then yawned broadly. He dragged open heavy, bleary eyes that seemed to struggle for a moment to find their focus. Shifting onto his side to face her, he tucked one arm under his head and squinted at her, offering a lopsided, drowsy smile. "I'm wide awake, too."

Leia smiled back; she was amused by his assertion, given the obvious evidence to the contrary. One side of his face was red and creased from where he'd slept too hard with it pressed against the pillow, and his eyes had drifted closed again the instant he stopped speaking. Though he'd reached out a hand to stop her leaving the bed, his movements were sluggish compared to his usual lively energy and Leia eyed him for a moment, wondering whether he would drift back to sleep if she didn't respond. But his eyes fluttered when he felt her shift slightly on the bed.

"Stay," he urged, his deep voice reverberating in the quiet room. Blindly, his hand found hers again and gave it a light squeeze. "Senate will have you for the rest of the day. I want you to myself for a while."

Leia's smile widened. "Well, today's your lucky day," she told him, then waited for him to open his eyes again and focus on her before she revealed her surprise. "When I found out you were coming home this morning, I asked Azeda to work her magic and clear my schedule before midday. There are a couple of things I couldn't move, but they're not until after lunch."

Han's eyes widened slightly and then his face creased in a beaming smile. Shifting up onto one elbow, he reached for her. "C'mere, then," he invited, leaning forward to slide a long arm around her and then pulling her gently with him as he eased back against the pillows. Leia went with him willingly, stretching out alongside him in her accustomed position, tucked under his embracing arm. Han drew the covers back over them both as Leia nestled her head once again into the hollow of his shoulder and closed her eyes. It really was pure blissful indulgence to crawl back into bed with Han, knowing she had nowhere to go for hours yet and could allow herself the luxury of a lazy morning in his arms. She knew he felt the same, and smiled when she felt him plant a kiss in her hair and heave a gratified sigh. They rested in companionable silence for a little while, listening to the sounds of the awakening city filtering through the open window from far below.

"I used to mock Chewie a little," Han said after a while, his tone thoughtful, reflective. "The way he acts when we've been away from Kashyyyk too long."

Leia dragged her eyes open and tilted her face up to his. "How does he act?"

Han gave a little shrug, gently bumping up Leia's resting head. "Ah, you know. Turns into a big mope. Moons around the ship, feeling sorry for himself."

"I've never seen him do that."

"Sure you have. You just didn't know what you were seeing. He plays it off. If anybody notices his mood and asks about it, he says he's hungry, or he gripes about some fault on the _Falcon_ , or he says I've been giving him a hard time."

"To be fair, any of those things could be true at any given moment. This is Chewie you're talking about, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Han conceded. "But the truth is, when he's in that particular mood, it's actually because he misses his wife."

"That's so... _sweet_ ," Leia smiled fondly, thinking of the giant, fierce Wookiee trying to disguise his tender heart. She gave Han a little nudge of admonishment. "Why would you tease him about it?"

Han shrugged again. "That's just the way we are, Sweetheart; you know that. And believe me, he gives as good as he gets. That mophead has given me hell for a long time over how hard I fell for you."

Leia smirked. "That's because you swore on your life—and on multiple occasions, apparently—that you'd never fall for anyone. Never ever."

Han stretched his neck around to peer down at her, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Chewie tell you that?"

"Of course."

Han gave a soft chuff and let his head fall back onto the pillow. "He's such a gossip."

" _He's_ a gossip?" Leia laughed. " _You're_ the one telling me that Chewie's occasional bad moods are actually due to how much he misses Malla. And you actually _mock_ him about that?" Leia _tsk_ ed in playful disapproval.

Han grunted. "Well, he's a _Wookiee._ They live four hundred years. They're supposed to feel the passing of time a little different from us humans," he explained. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I always knew it was tough on him, running around the galaxy with me, going months—hell, sometimes almost a year at a time—without seeing his family. I just thought he was a sap. A big softie."

"And you don't think so now?"

"No…," Han's voice trailed off and then he tightened his arms around her. "No, Sweetheart," he murmured softly, speaking the words into Leia's hair. "Now...I understand."

==============0==============

The End


End file.
